As someone who used to interview and employ people, I would look at any candidate with GCSEs 2022 and A levels 2023 and totally disregard their results. I would focus more on how they performed at degree level and in interview.
This year of students have had a unique experience of further education. Some have coped others haven’t.
I suspect that the next few years are going to see even more problems. Disruption in yrs7-9 will have had an even bigger impact on core knowledge. Next years A level candidates may have taken GCSEs but with the inflated grades will be in for the same shocks we have seen this week.
In hindsight they should never have given estimated grades. It would have been much fairer to give a reference. Teachers know which pupils are capable of moving forward to A level and recommend that course. Using highly inflated estimated grades was always going to end in disaster for some candidates.
DS was predicted 3Bs and achieved 3Bs. If we hadn’t had the pandemic he would have done better. He totally lost interest after the GCSEs and disappeared down a dark hole of depression. He’s not a geek but is a very able student.
During his yr12 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and his dad had a stroke. He had no chance of refocusing on study and really only got his mojo back in Jan this year.
He deliberately threw one of his Alevels in order to secure a B in psychology, his teacher didn’t think he could, but he worked hard and was delighted with the result. He managed a B in business studies with no revision. We are considering a review in PE because a B was a surprise.
Twelve months ago I very much doubted that he would actually take the exams. To the outside world he appeared a laid back/lazy student who was likely to waste the opportunity. In reality he was a kid who was going through hell, he admitted to me that every time I phoned him he thought it was to tell him his dad had suffered another stroke or had passed away.
He also had a real fear that they were going to cancel the A levels in the same way they cancelled their GCSEs. No amount of reassurance helped.
I would have dearly loved him to reach his potential, he loves exams and doesn’t struggle with anxiety under pressure. His problem was that he had so much going on at home he couldn’t focus at school. His teachers opinion was that he was too quiet and didn’t engage. But he freely admits that for most of yr12 he was on the verge of tears and couldn’t concentrate. He spent one term sitting in the English boys toilets because no one uses them during break or lunch. He found it difficult to control his emotions if people showed concern and very few of his peers knew what was going on.
All of this we knew nothing about nor did the school.
He had suicidal thoughts in early 2021 and got as far as writing a suicide note. It wasn’t a woe is me, just a simple “I can’t do this anymore”. it was an awful time and with what followed I am constantly watching. I recently asked him if he still had intrusive thoughts and his answer was “I’m still here mum”.
So do I care about his grades, no, I’m pleased that he is taking a year out. Hopefully he sees off the demons and can start looking forward.
Looking at clearing even the RG unis were seriously reducing grades in response to results so hopefully DS’s grades will be considered in context in 2024.
Now we are going to do as many open days as possible, we couldn’t do any last year. Also feed back from his friends will help.
Sorry about the ramble but it has been a little cathartic to put it down in writing.